If anyone ever actually reads this blog, you will know that I read - a lot. Aside from writing, it is my most favourite pastime.
It is not often I come across a book that has a profound effect on me but yesterday evening I started reading Just a Geek by Wil Wheaton. I enjoy watching a fair bit of Sci-fi but I am not a big Star Trek fan so choosing to read something written by one of the main characters from The Next Generation seemed a little odd even to me. I can't say what drew me to this book but I am certainly glad I was drawn there.
I didn't know very much about Wil. I recognised him as Wesley Crusher from Star Trek, of course and I even remembered him from Stand by Me. I had heard that he had a big presence on the Internet but I had never visited his site. I opened this book with an open mind and I was hooked from the very first page.
The book consists mainly of stories and anecdotes that have appeared on his website. He is unashamedly honest about all aspects of his life and despite the hardships he has endured, he manages to get his story across without reducing the reader to tears. His love-hate relationship with Star Trek and its cast and crew is fascinating to read. The insight he provides on the inner workings of the Hollywood casting process is enough to put anyone off ever becoming an actor. His incredible sense of humour is evident in every page and his love for his family is heartwarming.
This is not a book about Star Trek, this is a book about Wil Wheaton. This is a nice guy. A self-confessed geek but a nice guy. He has proved that Geek does not equal weak.
I was left with an overwhelming enthusiasm to better maintain my own blog and to persue my own dreams of calling myself a writer.You can check out Wil's blog at http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/ and follow him on twitter https://twitter.com/#!/wilw
No comments:
Post a Comment